That Plan to Turn a Steep Street Into a Giant Water Slide Was a Huge Success

Nearly 100,000 people signed up—360 got to ride.

Back in March, artist Luke Jerram announced his plan to turn a hilly street in the city of Bristol, England, into a 300-ft. waterslide.

Since then he managed to crowdfund the £5,621 (~$9300) needed to cover operation costs. And on Sunday, the urban slide—made of plastic sheeting, hay bales, water, and soap—came to life.

Nearly 100,000 people had signed up for a chance to ride the slide, but the event only had room for 360 lucky participants, randomly selected in a lottery. In the video below, a few of them compared it to getting a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

For Jerram, the slide is an architectural intervention that reclaims streets for the people. "If you look at photographs in the 1900s you see these beautiful empty streets with all the kids playing out...It's an extraordinary thing and all that has been taken away,” he told the BBC.